Soar on my Wings
by Kurmoi
Summary: After DOA3. A complex personality behind a stoic exterior... which nobody is willing to unlock. Is blood thicker then the ties of friendship? Will the super ninja follow his head, his heart or his friend?
1. Loyalties Pledged

Amidst the dark green of the trees, a young man is standing, his short golden brown hair being blown by the wind. He turns at the sound of footsteps, almost inaudible to the ear of any mere mortal, but this young man is no mere mortal. He is one of the best ninjas in the land, and he knows it. Even standing on a cliff in the forest with no chance of a stray person wandering in, he stands tall and proud. The footsteps belong to one he knows very well, one with auburn hair that hangs down his back, one with sparkling emerald eyes which are so rare among those of the Japanese descent, one with the fabled Dragon Sword holstered to his back. One of very few whose skills could beat the young man's own. 

"I'm glad to see that you made it here safely," he says tonelessly, turning around fully to face his friend, honey brown eyes flashing with a deeper, darker emotion as he does so. The other man shakes his head slightly, sending the tail of auburn hair over his shoulder with the motion, seemingly ignoring, or simply not noticing the look in his friend's eyes. 

"Thank-you for your concern. But I can see that your mind rests with other matters. Hayate, what is the problem that has required my assistance so hastily?" 

Hayate pauses for a moment, before speaking. "I want you to dispose of Kasumi for me, Ryu,"

"But… she's your sister," The usually stern face of the shinobi standing before him is expressing mild confusion. "You will, or I will have a fair amount of difficulty catching her. She has slaughtered many of your men that you have sent after her. What makes you think that I will succeed? And haven't you already discussed the task of locating her in the first place with Ayane already? Wasn't she the person that you allocated for the task?"

A mixture of scepticism and disgust fills Hayate's face at his friend's question. "My patience has all but been used up for the likes of that half-breed. I have given her chances time and time again, but once too many has she failed me. She has been banished from the Mugen-Tenshin clan, so that she may not further disgrace their name,"

Only one with keen eyes would have noticed the slight change in expression of the super ninja as Hayate mentioned the word 'half-breed'. "Regardless of her parentage or her shinobi blood, she is still as good a person as any to do it, if not more so, because of the blinded rage that she carries for your sister-"

"Hayabusa," Hayate says simply. His friend starts and looks up at him, so that cool emerald green meets honey brown fire. "Do not tell me how to do my job. It is the laws of our clan to keep everybody unless they do something which directly damages the wellbeing of the clan. Ayane has done this on more then one occasion, and I have been more then lenient with her on those accounts. That and the fact that keeping a half-breed for so long has made the clan more vulnerable to resistance. After all, who wants one of less then pure blood?"

The super ninja drops his gaze to the ground, staring blankly at the soil, trying to keep offending emotions off his face. Hayate pauses for a moment, and is about to speak, before Ryu suddenly puts his head up and speaks. The cool green gaze that meets Hayate's own is far from the anger lacing the young shinobi's words. 

"So what are you asking me to do? Dispose of the last remaining family member that you have? Your parents have been long gone. You have banished Ayane out into the world where she could easily get killed for what she is, or in your words, what she isn't. You are asking me to eliminate the remaining one of your family. Do you know what you are asking of me?"

"Go, get out of my sight. If I did not know, then why would I be asking it of you? Don't disappoint me, Ryu, the results could be painful," Hayate says simply, before vanishing in a swirl of leaves. Ryu is left there standing after him. His eyes narrow at the memory of him calling Ayane a half-breed, as though she were a type of mongrel as opposed to a normal human being. The sudden change of events that had led to this outcome is still puzzling the young ninja as he tries to come to terms with the situation. Far away in the distance, a scream of pain is heard, echoing through the isolated forest. He knows that voice almost as well as his own.

_Hurry, _he thinks to himself distantly, vanishing in a swirl of emerald green leaves. _Hurry,__ or I might be too late.  _

Unlike most of my stories, this one is still in progress, as in really in progress right now. As in, only a few chapters done after this, unlike the decent amount I have before posting. Tell me if this is worth continuing, because feedback at this stage will be crucial as to whether I continue writing this story or not! Thanks :)


	2. Hayate sama

Hmm… yes, Randomguy, I do realise that Hayate and Hayabusa are from different clans… *nod nod* the reason why Ryu is taking orders from Hayate and Hayate is getting Ryu to follow his orders will be explained later, okay? Yeah, this is AU to the extent that there is no way that this would happen. Period. ^^

Oh, another note, there is a reason for changing from present to past tense… and I have realised that I've done it. :)

She clutched her small katana desperately, dodging the wild swiping of the sword easily. Fighting her is the person she hoped never to see or fight against, yet here she was, doing that exact thing she dreaded. Pain of sorts ebbed through her as she clutched her katana, ducking under another sword blow. Never would she have assumed that she would die fighting her own brother.

Hayate was still being affected by the katana blow she had managed to get in several minutes earlier. He had uttered a cry of pain, before swinging wildly at her, as he was now. In truth, she supposed that something wasn't in order. His sword fighting had never been this poor before.

"Kasumi, I'm going to kill you!" he hissed through his teeth. A sudden sharp pain erupted in her chest, as she gasped with the pressure of it. Emotional pain was sweeping through her. Her brother was going to kill her, and even though she would always care for him, she valued her own life more. Top survival skills.

She knew that she had to act soon before the sword blade, erratic as its path was, imbedded into her side. She took a deep breath and thought a silent prayer before plunging the katana home, into her brother's side. His eyes went wide, his mouth opening in a silent scream. She could feel the tears burning in her eyes, before they spilled down over her pale cheeks. Here she was, killing her own brother.

"Hayate, I never wanted it to end like this," she whispered, dropping to her knees by the limp but still breathing body of her brother, kicking the sword out of his grasp. He was gasping for air, but they both turned with the sound of the wind blowing gusts of leaves. Or was it? She felt her own eyes widen as she looked up, straight into the cold green eyes of her guardian. 

"Go!" he whispered, and she readily obeyed, running as fast as her legs would take her, looking back briefly before disappearing around the corner. Her guardian was kneeling beside the still corpse of her brother. Her brother…

Tears were blinding her vision now. She slowed to a stop and leant heavily against a tree, her eyes filling with the tears that she had been trying to not shed for so long. He was dead now. Her brother. 

No more assassins would come after her, her life could be normal, or as normal as a kunoichi's could be. She wouldn't be hunted any longer. That was good. Finally, she could live a normal life, finally grow up into the adult's shoes, rather then be forced into them…

Her brother…

"No!" she screamed suddenly, startling the birds resting in the trees, causing them to take flight. The scream was ragged, filled with loss, despair and grief. She screamed until her throat was hoarse, before sinking to her knees, her matted orange hair falling forward into her face as the painful tears kept on rolling down her cheeks, almost mocking the calamity with their gentleness. 

"Hayate!"


	3. Mysterious woman

This, my friends, is what a writer calls a PEFC, also known as a Pathetic Excuse For a Chapter. This story, however, has to be done in the shorter chapters because it's one of my first stories to incorporate action rather then a long and extended story… not a lot of my stories do that… (or it will at least try to)

His pulse was beating rapidly as he laid his friend's motionless body onto the table. The extent of the wound wasn't as serious as he had originally feared, although Kasumi was a skilled katana user. His heart sank as he examined the wound more closely, seeing something which he had overlooked previously. There was a good chance that his friend wouldn't be able to walk again from the damage caused. 

He dropped his head, letting his auburn hair hand forward. Emotions were threatening to engulf him, something which he couldn't let happen. But what had happened to the once seemingly perfect Mugen-Tenshin clan? Here was the clan leader; basically dead to the world, by his own sister, while his half sister he had banished from the clan itself. Why? He may never know now.

She was panting, hair soaked from the sudden downpour of rain. Her spirits were equally dampened, as she trudged along, forcing her weary legs to carry her further despite her lack of energy. _Perhaps this is what being a runaway shinobi feels like, she thought distantly. _At least I never stooped down to that level, like _her__. No matter how much people don't like my blood, they can't say that I would ever do something like that._

Suddenly, she caught sight of a small cottage in the distance. She ran for it, ignoring the searing pain in her legs. She was armed, and she doubted that an assassin would live in such an isolated place, they would prefer living in civilisation where they could pretend to blend in further, rather then being so distinctly placed. She should know, she used to be one. She walked boldly up to the door, before knocking. There was no answer.

Now, who is she? We all know… right? Anyway, more of 'she' next chapter, so stay tuned!


	4. Pure shinobi blood

She pushed the door open tentatively, peering into the darkness. There was no light on. Suddenly, she heard footsteps, and froze, hands grasping for her katana desperately, falling back into fighting mode. The light flicked on, and she gasped. So much for an assassin not living in such a secluded location. 

"What are you doing here?" she asked, unable to contain her shock. The shinobi gave her a sceptical look, raising his eyebrow at her.

"I live here. What are you doing here?"

She never would have guessed. What were the odds of her seeking shelter and the first house that she came across and entered was Ryu Hayabusa's? One in a million? But there he was, standing in front of her, still with a sceptical but now slightly concerned look on his face.

"You must be cold, Ayane," he said, his voice soft and emotionless as it always had been. But something seemed somewhat different; she couldn't quite catch what it was. "Seeing as you've managed to enter my house anyway, you might as well come the rest of the way in, although you have managed to do that quite admirably yourself so far,"

The sarcasm was evident, but she refused to let it deter her. He let her come the rest of the way inside, seating her on a nearby chair and immediately getting her a towel which she took gratefully. It was fluffy and warm as she towelled her hair dry before wrapping it around her. It was then, as he walked back over to the table that she noticed that there was something on it.

No, someone.

"What the hell?" she exclaimed in shock, standing up and walking over. As she set eyes on the prone figure, she gasped. "Hayate?"

"He and Kasumi were fighting. I got there too late," Ryu said simply and somewhat bitterly. "As soon as she saw what she had done, she went into shock. I set her off into the forest and now I have to try and help your brother,"

Ayane frowned bitterly. "Half brother," she said maliciously. "As he kept on reminding me,"

"Is it true that he banished you for your impure shinobi blood?" Ryu asked questioningly, bent over Hayate's body. She narrowed her eyes, the memory awakening the anger that she felt.

"That's what he told you, obviously. Yes, that's the main reason. Just because he and _her are as pure as they come. Not that it means anything to you, either. We were told that anyone not of pure blood in the Hayabusa was destroyed,"_

"Excuse me?" Ryu asked, surprised, straightening up and meeting her eyes. She could see the astonishment on his face. "Who told you that?"

Ayane pulled the towel closer around her shoulders, even though she was warming up physically; mentally it felt as though somebody had dropped an ice block into her soul. "Hayate, mister pure-blood himself, of course. He said that your clan couldn't abide impure-blooded,"

"That is true, as a general rule. But they didn't kill them. They kept them alive," he said softly. She glanced over at him; his expression was wistful and recollecting. "Of course, some people in the clan didn't approve of it. We were supposed to have been of pure blood, symbolising it as strength for our clan. They tried to change the leader's decision, but he wouldn't be swayed,"

He paused for a moment, staring out of the window. 

"The people that had protested thought that it was because the leader had felt guilty. It was his child that was of the impure blood, you know, nobody except for him and his lover truly knew the circumstances surrounding the birth. But the leader denied everything, and letting the young child be raised in the normal way. Other then a few odd incidents with the people opposed to him, the child had a normal life within the clan,"

"How do you know so much about this?" she demanded, although she was ridden with curiosity. It was something about his voice which made everything that he said sound interesting, even when it wasn't, although in this case it was. He turned away from the window to face her, green eyes boring into her own.

"Father told me shortly before he left on clan business. It was his job as leader of the clan to take the initiative for the battle, although the consequences led to his demise,"

It took a while for his statement to sink in, before Ayane suddenly, shockingly, understood.

"You mean that… you…"

He simply nodded.


	5. The purity of shinobi

Issac, thank-you! I'm so proud of myself for getting a halfway decent cliffhanger ^^; Thanks also for the reviews, they're very nice :) Another short chapter, but the next one's going to be longer, I promise.

"How?" she managed to stutter. He shrugged. It had been a big thing, telling her. Nobody had ever known outside of his clan, not even Hayate. _Imagine what he would say to that, _he thought bitterly. _After banishing his own sister because of her impure blood, he turns to his friend, whose blood is probably even worse then his half sister's. Funny, that._

"Ayane, you're a kunoichi, you're not stupid. Shinobi don't have green eyes simply because," he said softly. She looked at him, before shaking her head, regaining her composure.

"You could have been an oddity," she said, raising a finely plucked eyebrow at him. He shook his head, brushing the comment aside.

"Maybe so, but that wasn't the case. Don't sound so surprised,"

He could tell that she had dropped her guard. She _was_ surprised. Anybody could have killed her there and then, had they wanted to, she was standing there so stunned. He turned back to Hayate. He was still breathing, and his wounds were cleaned, there was nothing else that he could do for his friend at this moment in time. When he turned back to Ayane, she had her mouth shut and regained her composure. 

"He told me before he banished me that you were eliminating Kasumi, instead of me," she said coolly. The malice was obvious, but whether it was aimed at him, Hayate or Kasumi he wasn't sure. He simply nodded.

There was a pause. Neither of them said anything. Until finally, Ayane broke the silence.

"Why are you taking orders from Hayate? You're from different clans. You're probably more powerful then he is, yet you're bending to his will, doing his dirty work. I don't understand. I always thought that you of all people would be one of those who detest being told what to do,"

"I am," he said softly. 


	6. The barbaric side of ninjutsu

She was looking straight at him, and therefore could easily tell that he had zoned out from the circumstances around him. She sighed softly and decided to listen to what he had to say.

"The only reason that I am doing what he has asked is because I owe him a great debt. He asked, that in repayment, that I assassinate Kasumi for him. Recently his thoughts have been rather distant, and in his way of expressing them even more so," he turned his head so he could glance at the young shinobi lying on the table. "His patience is waning with your clan. When I saw him in the forest before this happened, he was treating me as though I was one of his students. His thoughts aren't straight,"

"It seems as though you're just making excuses for him," she protested, running a hand through her lavender locks. "Even still, if what you say is true to the last degree, then what debt do you owe him that is big enough for him to get you to do his clan's work? I mean, that is a big thing, to get somebody else from a different clan to do your clan's work,"

"He realises that. I thought that he would have interpreted it as weakness, but apparently to him it proves the clan he has other allies, which equals strength. I don't quite understand the logic behind it, but he hasn't told me more. I have to do my task without asking questions," The expression on his face was rather bitter, as was his tone by this stage. "A good little errand-boy,"

"You haven't answered my question," she snapped. "What debt do you owe him? I mean, Hayate. Come on,"

"He saved me from a fate worse then death, in the literal sense," he said softly. "I had been caught by a rival clan to my own. They had already tried to steal the Dragon Sword once, and managed to capture me through a fault of my own. Anyway, this time they decided that they would not combat me in the original sense, sending precious ninjas out to try and assassinate me that way. It didn't work the last time. They chained me up and were going to cut me up,"

"Excuse me?" she asked, surprised. "Do you mean cut up as in amputate, etcetera?"

"Quite accurate to put it that way," he stated simply. "Death would be fine, but torture I have no stomach for, especially when I am in the victim's position, rather then vice versa. Either way, I don't know how Hayate found out that they had caught me, but he came in before they managed to do anything serious, unchained me and saved me, I suppose,"

"So he wants a favour in return?" she asked incredulously. "What a prick," she added as an afterthought. 

"That he may be, but I will do it. Anything rather then being… a limbless torso in that cell," he said; eyes downcast. Her own brown eyes widened. 

"You couldn't keep somebody alive with their limbs chopped off, that's impossible," she said. She couldn't even believe the notion, let alone the lack of morality it would take to do such a thing. Even she couldn't do that to anybody, leave them as a limbless torso. Not even Kasumi and that was saying something. 

"I beg to differ. There are ways. Decadent ways, but still ways,"

"Worse then even doing it in the first place?" she asked, still in shock. "Wait," she mused out aloud. "Don't want to hear it. Shit. I guess kissing Hayate's feet is better then that. Anything is better then that,"

"Exactly," he said, spitting out the word as though it tasted bad. "So that's how I have managed to be caught in Hayate's conniving game of killing his sister," he stopped, and touched his left shoulder lightly. "He came just in time,"

"Can we change the subject?" she asked. He nodded blankly. 

Little Japanese ninja history, the above could have happened! (Lovely, ain't it?) And ninjas used to use claws, too. So just when we thought that all these ninjas were nice… (lol)


	7. A debt repaid

It was almost as though telling Ayane had made his shoulder ache. He touched the wound lightly. The incident itself had occurred almost a week ago, and the cut on his shoulder was only beginning to heal up. It was so easy to relive the moment, but he tried to block it out of his mind. 

_Thank the gods that Hayate had come then, even a few seconds longer and I'd be short an arm. A scary thought, that._

He started as Hayate shifted on the table, moaning slightly. Reaching the edge of the tabletop, he looked at his friend to see two golden brown eyes staring at him. 

"I'm… alive?" he asked, sounding rather surprised. Ryu nodded. 

"Don't try and move. You'll aggravate your wound," he said softly, brushing auburn hair away from his friend's face gently. "You're badly hurt, Hayate. Be careful,"

"Ryu?" He sounded so scarily distant, the young ninja noted. "Is that you?"

He nodded. "Indeed,"

"Ryu… is Kasumi dead? Did you kill her?" Hayate asked wearily. He blinked. He hadn't been expecting that question. He glanced sideways at Ayane, who was wearing an 'it's-your-problem-you-deal-with-it' expression on her face. He shut his eyes briefly, before responding.

"The one that you speak of… she is not here," he said, choosing her words carefully. "She is elsewhere, hopefully a better place,"  

"Oh, thank the gods for that," Hayate said, shutting his eyes. "Thank-you, Ryu. And you saved my life as well. I guess that makes us even,"

"I guess it does," Ryu responded softly.

Short chapter… sorry about that! The next chapter's got more Ayane… yay.

Hope you enjoy!


	8. What could have been

She stared at them both as Hayate sat up slowly from the table. There was obviously a great friendship and respect there. It was sad, really. Hayate and his best friend had a better friendship then Hayate and his half-sister ever could. And that was not her fault.

She stood up abruptly, trying to clear her mixed thoughts out of her head, but found it impossible. The love of her life was lying before her, yet refused to acknowledge her? She found it pathetic that she still _loved _the bastard, even after everything that he had put her through. But, she couldn't change the way that her heart felt, and it had decided that it loved her half-brother.

It wasn't fair. Why couldn't Hayate and somebody else have the friendship problems? She was being a complaining, whinging bitch, she realised that, but… come on. All she wanted in life was somebody who she could trust and depend on. It sounded most unlike her, but it was true. And she wanted that person to be Hayate.

"Are you still in pain?" the soft voice of the super ninja brought her back to reality. He was touching Hayate's forehead anxiously, putting a hand on it to feel his temperature. "You're rather flushed. I'll move you to a more comfortable spot. A table isn't the best spot for having a nap on. Tell me if you're feeling unwell,"

"Gee, Ryu, you're such a _mother," she said sarcastically without thinking. Both men turned to look at her then. Raising her eyebrows, she thought how odd it was considering them 'men' as such. Ninjas yes, men no. Of course, they were of the opposite gender, something which hadn't escaped her eye… for the first time, she looked at them as people rather then killing machines and saw a much different picture from the previous._

Hayate would probably be considered rather lecherous, _almost_, if he lived a 'normal' life. He enjoyed woman's attention, no doubt about it. She could imagine women coming up to him and commenting on his shoulder-length, golden brown hair. He looked like he would be a party person if he hadn't been destined to live a ninja's life.

Ryu on the other hand… she couldn't see him being much different from the way he was anyway. Cold, calm and indifferent to most things was the Japanese super ninja. If he lived a 'normal' life, what would he be doing? Probably something monotonous, the same thing over and over. Probably the same somewhat antisocial thing over and over. He just seemed that way inclined.

_Being a ninja or kunoichi basically takes away any chances of leading what everybody else takes for granted, _she thought to herself bitterly. She had always regarded it as destiny and dismissed it without further thought, but now she wasn't sure. Was there something more which she had missed? She had never been bitter about it before. But what was the point of being bitter about something that you couldn't change?

"I see you're still the same as always, Ayane," Hayate spoke up suddenly, interrupting her thoughts and making her jump and shortly glare at him for making her do so. His tone wasn't friendly. 

She looked into those golden brown eyes, deeply in. She saw no compassion, no 'something extra' within them. That made her think, and think hard. _What am I doing, wasting my love on this prick? I deserve better. He doesn't deserve what I can give him. And that is the truth._

"Shame, really. Kasumi should have finished you off. She can't even do that right," she retorted before storming out of the room.


	9. The inpenetrable barrier

Just a little note: Thanks, Wolf and Gouki, for telling me about some loser going around flaming everyone. Hey, God or whoever you are, the only thing that's going to worship you is the dog poop on the ground, if you're lucky. Go flame someone who cares.

On another note, I hope everyone else that matters is enjoying this story as always! Until next time!

He looked from one to the other, an angry and stubborn Hayate to the rapidly departing back of his half-sister. He didn't know where his loyalties should lie, so to speak. There was no reason for Hayate to attack Ayane like that, but then again… 

He sighed softly before following Ayane out to the living room of his house. Hayate could look after himself. So could Ayane, but… there was something else that was driving him to follow her rather then stay with his best friend.

She had seated herself on the sofa as he softly entered the room, staring out of the window with an unreadable expression on her face. She started and turned around, glaring, as he touched her lightly on the shoulder.

"What do you think you're doing? What are you doing here?!" she spat, jumping to her feet instantaneously, a fierce expression in her eyes.

"I was merely… why does it matter, anyway, considering that this is my house and I am free to go wherever I wish in it?" he retorted, giving up on the sympathy act and defending his reasons. He sighed. _I should have just stayed with Hayate. Why do I always make the wrong decisions? Why did I even let her in? Why indeed? _

"I will leave you alone as you please, though. It is not my wish to make you angry," he said softly, holding up his hands to show amity, before turning and walking out of the room. It wasn't until he reached the doorway when he heard somebody calling his name.

"Yes?" he asked, surprised that she would even bother responding to him. She didn't usually.

"Thanks. I'm glad someone thinks like you do," she responded softly before turning away to stare out of the window again.

*

If anybody had told her that she would be standing here, staring out of the window and bitching incessantly about Hayate, she would have told them to go to hell on a platter. But here she was. 

She was quite surprised that Ryu had followed her, though. She would have thought that he would stay with his best friend, but for some reason he chose to follow her out instead.

_Could it be… perhaps? _The thought ran through her head, but she quickly and angrily dismissed it. _Just because you want love doesn't mean that every guy who sees you will miraculously fall in love with you, Ayane. Not to mention that it's pathetic that you even want __love anyway..._

"Besides…" she said softly to the window. "It's not as though a super ninja could bring himself to love anybody. What with all the bloodshed and all, he'd be even harder to crack then Hayate. And Hayate mentioned something about him already having a love. There's no hope there. Why am I even bothering with this train of thought? It isn't as though I would want to be loved by him or Hayate…"

She couldn't convince himself. She did want Hayate's love. That smile that he always directed at Kasumi, that friendly one which lost you in his golden-brown eyes, the one that made his entire visage soften. She wanted it directed at _her. But it never would be. She was the mistake, the bastard child. Never to be accepted fully into the clan because of her parents' mistake._

Suddenly, a thought struck her. Did Hayabusa have those problems? He didn't say a lot, and hadn't mentioned them, but then again, if he hadn't mentioned something, probably something of the sort _had occurred. A few incidents, he had said. With him, that could mean anything. _

_Forget about Hayate. Forget he even exists. Better to forget and live then remember and get your heart broken._

Yet, she couldn't fully convince herself, no matter how hard she tried. Hayate was the only person she could bring herself to love. Even though love was weakness and all that shit. Loving Hayate was a weakness, a hole in her otherwise impenetrable barrier, or so she liked to think. Perhaps it wasn't as impenetrable as she had thought.


	10. Kasumi, you are a fool

A long time, but finally an update! Hope you haven't forgotten about this story, hey? Oh well… if you have you have. Meh. Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter! Conspiracy! Err, I'll shut up, I guess… ^^

_Now you've done it. Killed your brother. He really loved you underneath, you know? But now, because of what you've done, you never will know…_

She ran, tears blinding her vision. Still. She knew what Hayabusa, for example, would say if he saw her blubbering the way she was now. _Emotions hold you back, make you impotent. _But he hadn't killed her brother, she had. And it was like she had stabbed _herself _with the katana, the pain she felt as the blade entered her brother's flesh.

He was dead now. That was all there was to it. Dead. Not coming back. 

_I can't live with this! Assassins… for some reason they seem unimportant. I killed my brother! My own flesh and blood! How can I forgive myself for this?_

She slowed. The pain in her chest was too difficult to ignore. Not because of running, either. She was ready to take the punishment of killing her brother. She had accepted her fate.

_As if in a dream, I can hear him say… be careful, Kasumi… always…_

_…Kasumi._

She looked up, startled. As if she were in a dream, somebody had spoken her name. But it was no dream. Her former guardian was standing opposite her, leaning on a tree with his arms folded. His expression, unlike usual, was clearly readable, even to her. It was saying something along the lines of 'Kasumi, you are a fool'. 

"So," he started. No more words needed to be said. She looked up at him, his cold green eyes and wondered. Wondered about him. Why he was always so cold, always blocked off his emotions. Why he protected her with his life yet hardly spoke more then a few words to her. Surely you would at least be friendly with the person you could sacrifice your life to? Why he didn't kill her straight away when he saw her killing Hayate…

"Hayate!" It was more then just a scream. It was a scream of absolute, utter anguish. Her life could finally be safe. But never happy, not with the blood of her brother staining her hands. Happiness was something she could never achieve, not with her brother's demise! 

_I love you, onii-chan…_

_I love you too, squirt. Even if you stuff your face with all the strawberry millefeuille before anyone else even gets a chance to look at them…_

Her brother. The only link to her past that didn't hate her. Now that link had gone, vanished into thin air. Ayane was her only remaining link to her family, and she detested her. Hayabusa was a link to the past, but there had never been any sign that he had thought anything more of her then a leaf fluttering carelessly into the courtyard. 

But then again, who knew with him?

_Sayonara, Hayate-kun…_

It was for the last time. She didn't know how to atone for what she had done. Nothing was worth anything any longer.

The next thing she knew, she was in a comforting warmth. 

_I'm safe. Hayate's embracing me…_

_But… Hayate's dead, then what…?_

She pulled away as fast as if somebody had electrocuted her when she realised that she had been seeking solace in Hayabusa's arms. And to her surprise, she had been warm in them. Which meant one thing. He must have been…

No way, _not_ possible.

"I-I'm sorry, Hayabusa-san," she apologised hastily, wiping the tears from her eyes in a swift motion. "I never meant to-"

Her words died on her tongue as he leant over and embraced her once more. His warm, strong arms were around her, holding her, comforting her. Why, she didn't know, but she allowed herself to seek comfort in the warmth at least for a short time. So absorbed was she in the embrace, she nearly missed hearing his soft whisper into her ear.

"Do not mourn just yet, Kasumi. Hayate has not yet passed on. He thinks you are dead. I will keep you informed,"

Before she could say anything, he pulled away from her so abruptly she stumbled backwards, and disappeared in a swirl of autumn leaves. 


	11. Let it be so

Sorry, don't expect another chapter for a while, I've kind of hit a writer's block. And until I've made a decent plan of this story and to where it's going to go, then I'm not going to write much more. Once the plan's done, however, then we'll all be good. 

Without further ado, here's a chapter because I love you ^_^ 

I like this chapter. (You don't have to, but…) It goes into the psyche of Hayabusa a little, and explores Hayate and Hayabusa's friendship and Hayate's values. Now… what will he choose?

*

She was staring out of the window when he returned, in the same position he had left her. He decided to ignore that, going into the next room and checking on Hayate.

"How's the wound?"

Hayate made a face. "Sore. But what do you expect? She was a good little fighter,"

He mentally flinched upon hearing the sad tone in his friend's voice. _I'm sorry, Hayate. But it's better this way. For you and for her. Then you can both continue living without worrying about each other. Unfortunately, now you will both just live with guilt, wondering what could have been._

"Do you need anything to dull the pain?"

Hayate glanced across at him with golden brown orbs. "Something would be nice. Are there any decent herbs around here?"

He nodded. "I have a supply of them. I'll go and get some for you,"    

"Thankyou," Hayate lay back down, even on the table, he seemed comfortable. 

_He seems alright. I hope so._

Going out to the back garden, he collected some herbs and brought them inside, still wet from the rain, mixing them into a paste before bringing it to his friend.

"Where's the wound?"

Hayate lifted the somewhat bloodstained garment covering his chest, revealing a small, neat hole just on the hip. "It's small, but she certainly has a good aim,"

He nodded. "We shall have to wait and see what happens with it,"

As gently as he could, he applied the paste onto the wound. "Why did you banish her?" he asked finally, putting a neat dressing over the paste.

"Ayane? Didn't I tell you?"

"You did. But I don't understand why,"

Hayate sat up, despite the obvious discomfort it caused. "She is a danger to the clan with her rashness. Not to mention her impure blood goes against what the clan is trying to promote,"

"She is a better friend then enemy to you and your clan, Hayate. And regardless of blood, she is your sister. Does that mean nothing to you?"

"My half sister," Golden brown suddenly grew sad. "If I can be responsible for the death of my sister, what difference does the demise of my half sister make?"

"Save her while you still have the chance!" he could not believe his friend's stubbornness. "Does blood make or break a person, make them worse?"

"In her case," Hayate shook his head. "I thought you'd understand my decision. Your clan was just as strict about half-bloods as ours, if not more so,"

"Not always," his voice was as quiet and mystical as the kiss of a distant dream. _Time for a confession. _"There was a young boy, in our clan. He was born illegitimately, his mother being sexually assaulted and the father disappearing soon afterwards. However, aside from one small difference, there wasn't much to tell that the boy was different from the rest of the children, so he was allowed to live a normal life. The woman's husband was distraught at the news that the child wasn't his, and the additional news that the abuse his wife had suffered was serious enough for her to risk her life if she mothered a child again. So the husband agreed to raise the child as his own, not letting anybody else know,"

"How do you know all this?" Golden brown eyes were staring at him inquisitively. "Continue,"

"One day, one of the sensei found out. The sensei didn't like the child anyway, and so threatened him unless he verbalised the facts surrounding his birth to the entire clan. He did so after a deal of…" slight pause, "…persuasion. But surprisingly enough, not many people cared. Generally, the young boy lived a happy life, still raised in the clan even though his blood wasn't pure,"

"Seems unusual that a sensei would be so harsh to a child," Hayate sat up slightly, leaning on his elbows, carefully as to not aggravate the wound. "Would I know this person?"

"You might. He knows you. But I don't know if you know him,"

A flicker of realisation crossed between green and gold. "It was you, wasn't it,"

He nodded slowly. 

"Why didn't you mention it? I knew there was a reason that you were so against me banishing Ayane. What was the one small difference you mentioned?"

"Everyone in the clan except for me has brown eyes. Or, had," 

Hayate chuckled mirthlessly. "I thought that was odd when I first met you. It seemed odd that a member of a pure-blooded shinobi clan would have such a western feature,"

He shook his head. "According to my mother, my father was Japanese as well. I don't know a lot about him, though,"

"So. It explains a lot. And, assuming that Ayane knows, you've made me look like a complete fool," Hayate didn't sound happy. In fact, there was a trace of stubbornness that he had been mentally praying not to hear.

"You deserved it," his own voice was soft.

"Now what?" his friend threw up his hands in frustration. "I've banished her because of her blood and turned to _you, _and by the sound of things, you're in exactly the same situation as Ayane except you didn't get as much trouble because of it as her,"

"Something like that," he refused to let his own stubbornness be his downfall, simply responding shortly but amicably. "If blood purity is what you use to choose between your friends and enemies, then I'm sorry for doing this, but it does have to be done," 

He pulled out his sword and, with lightning speed, flipped it so that the point of the sword was mere centimetres away from Hayate's face. "Say the word, Hayate, and our friendship will be severed from here onwards,"

He then flipped the sword again, balancing it on his palm, so that the hilt was facing his friend. "Or let it continue on as it were. Your decision,"

There was silence. Nothing could be heard, not even the birds. 

Finally, Hayate picked up the sword.

"Then, it is so," his voice was strained. "Let it be so,"

*


End file.
